It has been two weeks since the disaster on Vegas drift and we still have not received any word from Dylan. I have also been having trouble understanding why I did what I did, I mean how could I have forgotten all about Dylan that way when only moments before I was eagerly anticipating his arrival. That is a question I will need to find the answers to if I am going to have any hope of ever recovering the relationship that Dylan and I had. And as for the rest of the crew the only people on board that will talk to me are Trance and Harper everyone else including my ship-self give me the cold shoulder, except in battles which we have only had two of so far. In a way I know I deserve being treated this way and then in another way I hate it.
"Hi Trance how are you today?" I asked as I entered Hydroponics the only place that I don't have to worry about the hateful stares I receive from the rest of the crew.
"Hi Rommie I'm just fine thank you for asking" She chirped the reply happily. I can't get over how she is always so bubbly and happy even when bad things happen she rarely loses that chirpiness
"So what's on the agenda for today Trance?" I asked trying to take my mind off Dylan, and not having too much success.
"Nothing really I thought I'd just water my plants then go down to the Med-Deck and reorganize the medicine" she replied as she looked back to her plants.
"Oh that sounds like it could be...." I broke off as Beka's voice came over the inter-com
"Rommie report to command incoming transmission for you from a ship off our port side" said Beka's voice said before the click of the intercom shutting down sounded.
"Let's go to Command Trance" I said as I started to walk towards command, I noticed that Trance suddenly had stopped being so happy and chirpy and walked along next to me in silence. 'This can't be good' I thought as we slowly made our way to command. As we walked onto command I noticed everyone was there, Harper gave me a quick little smile when he saw me but the others didn't even acknowledge my existence.
"Put it on screen" I said as I walked around to the front of command and stood in front of the screen, the image that appeared was the last one I expected to see...
"Hello Rommie how have you been?" Mat asked as he saw my reaction
"I've been ok" I replied looking around the room and noticing the disgusted looks everyone was throwing in my direction even Harper "What are you doing out here I thought you were a teacher on Vegas drift?"
"Yes well about that.... I have a confession to make, I'm not really a teacher and I don't work on Vegas drift" he said with a hint of smugness showing in his eyes
"What do you mean you don't work on Vegas drift?" I was getting really confused now
"Well you see..." he started then turned as if speaking to someone off screen he nodded and turned back to look at me "That doesn't matter at the moment we have more important things to discuss such as you and your crew abandoning this quest of yours to restore the System Commonwealth" he said.
"Pfft and why would we do such a thing" snorted Beka
"Because if you don't things could be very bad for you" and with that the com-link was cut, and the ship slipstreamed and left the system.
"What did he mean things could be bad for us? Beka?" asked Harper as he glanced over towards me probably thinking things couldn't get any worse.
"I don't know but I don't respond well to threats" replied Beka.
"Me either" said Tyr "how about we just follow him and blow his ship out of the sky?" he asked
"NO don't do that" yelled Trance so fiercely that everyone looked at her in astonishment
"Why not? why can't we blow him up?" asked Beka confused as to why Trance would be defending him
"Because you can't... Please trust me on this if you destroy his ship things WILL go very badly for us" she replied.
"Trance if you don't start giving me straight answers now I swear I'm gonna...." Beka said menacingly and started to walk towards Trance.
"Beka don't... we have to try and find Dylan" I said as I stepped in front of her and between her and Trance.
"Your right Rommie we have to find him, a task that would have been so much easier if you hadn't betrayed him for that Gabriel look-a-like that just contacted us" she said glaring at me before turning and walking away.
"I know" I whispered. With those few words Beka had brought back into the light everything I had done two weeks ago.
"Ok let's start looking" said Beka as she stepped up to the pilot's station and took us to slipstream.

Two days had passed and still we had found no trace of Dylan, everyone was on edge so I just stayed in my room out of everyone's way and stared at the wall.
"Rommie you had better come to command" Tyr's voice came over the intercom but it sounded different.... distraught. 'This can not be good" I thought as I made my way up to command. I was shocked by the scene that presented itself to me as the command deck doors opened. Trance was curled up in a little ball sobbing with Harper hugging her and whispering in her ear. Beka was leaning against a wall with her eyes closed and shoulders shaking, Tyr was standing stoically at the pilot's station with his eyes closed and muttering to him self. I walked up to the displays at the front of command no-body noticing me as I passed, as I got there Andromeda appeared before me on the VDU and in Holographic form and nothing could have prepared me for what I saw... They were both crying, Holographic tears running down their faces as they looked up at me.
"What? what is everyone so upset about?" I asked already fearing the answer.
"You had better watch this feed we just received" VDU Andromeda replied blinking out and being replaced by a news report...

"This just in pieces of a slip-fighter, which has been identified as belonging to the Andromeda Ascendant has been located in an uninhabited solar system. Along with the debris were also some personal belongings and enough DNA to positively identify the pilot of the slip-fighter as one Dylan Hunt, who was believed to have still been inside when the slip-fighter exploded. Dylan Hunt was best known through out the known worlds as the man who signed up over fifty planets and there-by forming the beginnings of a new Systems-Commonwealth. His presence will be greatly missed....."

'No this can't be true it has to be a mistake' I thought as I slumped down to the deck before covering my face in my hands and weeping uncontrollably. I don't know how long I had cried I only knew that everyone else had left the command deck hours ago, and yet I still cried even though no more fluid was coming out of my eyes by this time and kept repeating to myself "No this can't be true it has to be a mistake" whilst rocking back and forth, head in my hands until I ran out of power and my body shut down like it does when I'm recharging. The last thing to enter my mind before I slipped into unconsciousness was 'I'm so sorry Dylan, this is all my fault'.